A Journey to Alpha 6

Alpha 6 is nearly here. Here’s what’s coming.

Virtuverse early access is turning three years old this September, and to commemorate the occasion, we are releasing the next major update — Alpha 6.

Starting September 29th all backers will gain permanent, 24/7 access to the servers.

Backer Playtest and 24/7 Servers:

Finally, after three years of periodic but short playtests, we are able to bring
Virtuverse to our backers anywhere at any time. In advance of the public test for Alpha 6, our supporters will get access to a preview test, showing off some of the features that will be in the upcoming release.

All Patreon supporters who have contributed $15 or more before the release of the backer test will be granted access to these servers indefinitely. After this date, access to the servers will only be given to active backers.

Things to Come:

In Alpha 6 we’ve narrowed our focus down on action:

— We’ve expanded our combat system to accommodate different players’ different playstyles. Mainly concerning defence, players can now wield shields, more effectively dodge or block enemy attacks, and evade using their skills. Armour choice also plays a bigger role in the player’s experience; certain types of armours absorb different damage types more or less effectively, so you have to be prepared when encountering enemies from other biomes than you’re equipped for!

— Skill progression has been changed to make levelling up more gradual. No more using Drozian rifles ten minutes into your first adventure. As part of that, your choice of skills and what path you choose in the tree also affects your gameplay. Tying in with the new combat playstyles, the new skills allow you to tank, resist or evade your fights:

• A juggernaut build greatly increases players health. Players who choose to go down this skill path can last much longer than an average player in the midst of a fight, however, additional armour does little to improve their odds of winning it. Good against all types of enemies;

• A precision rifleman build is for those who like to deal maximum damage. It allows players to deal critical hits, maximise their accuracy, and even restore health when hitting that critical shot! Best suited for players who like to take their fights from a distance;

• An armourer build focuses on min-maxing your armour and shields. Smart choice in armour that defends the player against appropriate damage types in combination with masterful use of shields puts the player far ahead of a juggernaut build, but only against specific enemies;

• An acrobat build is perfect for those who like to take things slower. While it requires incredible agility and timing, in combination with effective use of active abilities, evasion allows players to consistently dodge enemy attacks or run away from them entirely in order to regain health… or to keep running. In spite of lower health compared to juggernaut builds and less effective armour in contrast to armourer builds, the swiftness of the acrobat build more than makes up for that when facing all types of enemies. Furthermore, the acrobat path helps traverse the map more easily and quickly, allowing you to run faster and jump higher!

We’re very interested in what skill route players in different professions will choose. For example, a healer might prefer the juggernaut or armourer build, which allows them to focus on healing while mitigating the damage done to them. Or a miner roaming the Temrance may prefer an acrobat build to run away from distracting enemies.

Of course, the great thing about the talent system, is that you can mix and match which skills you wish to unlock. You can be part juggernaut, part armourer, and part acrobat, all combined!

Similar playstyle talent paths will become available for other professions, such as miners and crafters, in future updates. We look forward to players testing out the new defence mechanisms as we continue to improve on them in the coming months!

— Dungeons are receiving a coat of paint of their own. Discover, craft or purchase keys from other players and use them to modify the dungeon you’ll be entering next. Increase the difficulty for a more rewarding but challenging run or expand the bounds of the mazes below you if you prefer exploring deeper and deeper to discover the treasures beneath. Compare your runs to other colonists or your friends in the dungeon leader board!

These are just a few major changes you will see in Alpha 6. For a more detailed roadmap, you can check out our Trello page!

We’re excited to welcome you to what is the next step for Virtuverse. Don’t forget to join our Discord server and to report any bugs you find!

— Donathan & the Virtuverse Team.